Monday, August 31, 2015

It's almost here! The wait is nearly over! Tomorrow, the 2015 Holiday Catalogue goes live! Here's a way to get more variety of products for less money!

2015 Holiday Catalogue

There are so many enticing new products in the new Catalogue that I'm sure your wish list is longer than your arm! Here's a way to get a taste of many of the papers, ribbons and embellishments for less money! Product shares!

Here's how it works: I facilitate 4 people buying a variety of let's say, ribbon and then I divide the cost between them and split up the product evenly and mail or deliver it to each of them. They get a greater variety of ribbon for a lower price.

To sign up, fill out the form below. You will not have to pay anything until the share is filled. (Until I have the 4 people the share requires.) I will then send you a PayPal invoice, which you can pay on-line in a very secure way using a credit card, or you can mail me a cheque or send me an etransfer. Once you have paid, I will place the order and when it comes, I will divide up all the products and get them to you. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom and fill out all the information. *Sorry, but I can only ship to locations in Canada.*Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the response form below and complete all fields before submitting. Filling out this form does not constitute a full commitment. You will only be billed when the share is filled with enough people. I will not order until I have received payment from all share members.

Friday, August 28, 2015

It's only another week or so until Labour Day and school start up! The first day back to school is met with all kinds of emotions! Some children can hardly wait! Some approach that day with dread! But for all children, there is an adjustment to make.

They will likely have a new teacher and new expectations and it's nice to get them started off on the right foot. If you have a little card for your child to give to the new teacher, it will be a point of contact for your child and the teacher. Who wouldn't like to get a vote of confidence on that first day with a new class? This card features a new stamp set and punch from the Holiday Catalogue, which you will be able to order from on Tuesday, Sept. 1! The stamp set is called *Acorny Thank You, and the punch is the *Acorn Builder Punch!

Looking for something to put in that little square, I immediately thought of the acorn punch which I just got last week! I love acorns and they have come to symbolize fall for me, so I was anxious to use the new punch!

How about that great background designer paper called *Into the Woods Designer Series Paper! At Convention this year we learned that this particular series was all hand-painted! It has great colours and images. This particular design was perfect for my card.

Did you know that you can stamp on ribbon, even Burlap Ribbon? I used StazOn Jet Black ink to achieve a good result, but I cleaned my photopolymer stamp right away with Stampin' Mist and it cleaned right off without having to use StazOn Cleaner, which is not great for photopolymer stamps. This sentiment is from the *Acorny Thank You stamp set as well.

I stamped the bottom of the acorn in Crumb Cake first and punched it out. The punch gives you a whole acorn and just the lid, then you can glue the lid on the whole acorn where it goes. It was a little tricky maneuvering the punch to line up with the acorn lid, but I finally cut out a rough rectangle with the stamped lid at one end and then I was able to insert it in the punch and line it up.

The little banner is a sentiment, stamped in Pumpkin Pie, from *Acorny Thank You, and die cut with the coordinating Bitty Banners Framelits.

Remember, the more you can prepare your child for the next year, the more smoothly it will go for them.

Practise the morning routine this week with earlier bedtimes and earlier wake ups.

Develop a system for hanging backpacks, doing homework and repacking the backpack at night so it's ready to go in the morning.

Make a fun day of it, getting supplies or a new outfit to give your child confidence.

Let your child know that you're confident in them and you'll be there for them when they need a hug or some reassurance.

Why not walk to the school and peek in the windows, wondering with your child which classroom they will be in this year? It will be a way of discovering what they are hoping and any fears they may have and it opens up discussion.

I hope those are helpful suggestions. They come from my experience both as a teacher and a parent, and I had children that were eager for school and some that found the adjustment hard! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

This is the last of the Christmas cards for awhile, as it is the last sample for my Christmas Stamper's Dozen tonight. I used the layout from The Paper Players Challenge sketch this week:

All the bling happened because I decided to use Rich Razzleberry for the card base and looked for another colour to go with it. My best bet turned out to be gold, which was great because my deer image, a stamp from the new *Jolly Christmas Stamp Set, could be embossed in Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, which usually results in a more even coverage for a solid stamp like that.

I can't remember the last time I used the Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, but it was perfect for my background here as it added the gold foil, but also let the background show through a bit.

I used the Banner Triple Punch for the 2" strip of Gold Glimmer Paper to get the notched end. I love that tool! It makes it so easy to get that flagged end. The 2" width is the largest of the banner you can make with this punch. It also accommodates a 1 1/2" strip and a 1" strip, and it has the markings to center a 3/4" width, but you have to hold it straight to keep it centered.

I reversed the stacking of the circles on the side because I wanted all the deer to show. As well as embossing the deer, I also added a thin edge of Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder around the edge of the circle for definition. I didn't want to use a matte because the next circle up, when using the Circle Collections Framelits would have given it too large a footprint on the card. Gold Foil Sheets, die cut with a smaller circle framelit, gave the second circle.

The sentiment, stamped here in Rich Razzleberry ink on Whisper White cardstock is from the same stamp set, *Jolly Christmas, which will be available for you to order starting Sept. 1, when the 2015 Holiday Catalogue goes live. To get in on the first round of ordering, let me know what you want in the next few days!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

I don't think an act of gratitude is ever out of place! So many work away their whole lives without anyone acknowledging what they do or thanking them for their service. That should change! People are encouraged when they see that what they do makes a difference to others. Although I made these cards to go with some orders I was delivering, I want to dedicate the art in the photos to some heroes who have made a huge difference in many lives this summer! I'm talking about the fire fighters who have risked their lives and worked to exhaustion to protect homes, properties and lives from the hundreds of forest fires we have had in our area this summer.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to battle these mountains of flames in the full heat of the summer plus the heat of the raging fire, in full protective gear, day in and day out. I don't know how they do it, but I am so grateful that they do. Without these men and women, a great many more homes and lives would have been lost! Some even pay the ultimate cost, as was the case with three firefighters who were killed when their vehicle crashed and they had no way to escape the flames.

Thank You just doesn't seem like enough!

Let me tell you a bit more about the Thank You cards I made:

These cards were supposed to be note card sized, 5" x 3 1/2", but I accidentally cut them 5" x 3". However, when I added the label panel on the front, it turns out that this was just the right size, and they still fit in note card envelopes.

The Designer Series Paper for the background is from a new product called *Into the Woods Designer Series Paper (paper with printed designs on both sides, lighter weight than cardstock, and part of a series of coordinating patterns). It features colourful fall designs and will be available starting Sept. 1 from the new 2015 Holiday Catalogue.

I just love the little *Into the Woods Elements. They are wooden accents in the shape of leaves, acorns and pennants and they are a perfect embellishment for your fall cards. They are also found in the new Holiday catalogue and will be available Sept. 1!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Freshly Made Sketches

The Color Throwdown

Global Design Project

The Paper Players

What's New at SU DT Member

Follow me by Email

About Me

I'm an avid crafter and a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in Canada located in the sunny Okanagan Valley! I have a hubby and three grown girls and six grandkids, four loveable boys and two adorable girls. Two cats complete the household as well as rule it! I really should get more exercise, but everytime the urge hits, I head to the craft room until it passes!

Popular Posts

Copyright Disclaimer

The content in this blog is the sole responsibility of Heather Cooper. I am happy to share my creations with you for your personal inspiration! However, please do not copy or submit my work as your own to any publication or contest. I am thrilled and honoured when you CASE my work, but please give credit where credit is due. Thanks so much!